Opportunism, Institutions and Moral Costs: the Socio-Cultural Dimension of the Underground Economy in Croatia 1995-1999

Since the causes and dynamics of the unofficial economy are inseparable from the sociocultural dimension, the authors analyze the dynamics of opportunism and (dis)trust in institutions in Croatia during the last half of the nineties. The analyses carried out are based on work in which the first author provided a theoretical conceptualization of the socio-cultural dimension of the unofficial economy (Štulhofer, 1997). Measurement of the dynamics of opportunism and (dis)trust in institutions was carried out on data collected in the World Values Study – Croatia 1995 (N = 1170) and the European Values Study – Croatia 1999 (N = 1003). The results point out that in the observed period the level of opportunism decreased, with respect to both the intensity and to the distribution. Interestingly, there has been no change in the age structure of opportunism (the youngest age cohort is still the most opportunistic). Unlike opportunism, with which it is positively correlated, distrust in institutions has increased, particularly in the youngest age cohort. Considering the theoretical model, in which the level of opportunism reflects the moral costs related to participation in the underground economy, the decrease in the level of opportunism and economic growth in the post-war period suggest a moderate reduction in the underground economy in Croatia during the second half of the nineties.underground economy, Croatia, opportunism, trust in institutions, moral costs, socio-cultural factors

Croatian Accession to the European Union: Institutional Challenges

This paper provides a comparative empirical analysis of social values in Croatia, the European Union (EU), the countries joining in the first round, and a group of European countries outside the EU. Following up on the analysis of the data obtained in international research into European values carried out at the end of the 90’s on national samples of most European countries, the authors have endeavoured to determine the differences in the spread of post-material values and the scope of social capital. The objective is to define where, in terms of social values, Croatia is currently located, and thus to sketch out its readiness or lack of readiness for joining the EU. In the second part, the paper offers a comparative analysis of factors that affect the level of public confidence in the EU.socio-cultural values, post-materialism, social capital, transition costs, confidence in the European Union, Croatia

WER KEHRT MOGLICHERWEISE IN DEN OSTEN KROATlENS ZURUCK

Based on an extensive survey conducted on the representative sample of displaced persons from Croatian East the purpose of this paper was to highlight the differences in some sociodemographic characteristics, attitudes and expectations of the displaced who distinguish by their willingness to return home under the conditions of the Plan of Peaceful Reintegration. The majority (about 70%) of the interviewed persons intended to return to their homes unconditionally, about one quarter of them hesitated about the return because of the conditions of the Plan of Peaceful Reintegration or had not decided yet, and only 3% did not intend to return. By means of discriminant analyses the results of three groups of displaced persons were analysed: returnees, hesitant, and non-returnees. According to the results, the main difference between returnees and other two groups were their attitudes toward the Plan of Peaceful Reintegration, and the Plan was found to be prevailingly positive for the group of returnees. The group of non-returnees, although very small in number, differed from both, returnees and hesitant displaced, by younger age, poor family relationships, problem of invalidity and better adaptation to the place of resettlement. Present living conditions and expectations about future of the potential returnees were presented.Cilj istraživanja bio je utvrditi razlike u nekim sociodemografskim osobinama, stavovima i očekivanjima hrvatskih prognanika koje se razlikuju s obzirom na namjeru povratka u mjesta progonstva. Istraživanje je provedeno na reprezentativnom uzorku prognanika s hrvatskog istoka. Rezultati su pokazali da se većina ispitanih prognanika (oko 70%) namjerava vratiti u svoje domove bez obzira na uvjete postavljene u Planu mirne reintegracije, oko jedna četvrtina prognanika ne namjerava se vratiti pod tim uvjetima ili to još nisu odlučili, a svega 3% njih ne namjerava se vratiti. Rezultati diskriminativne analize provedene s ciljem da se utvrde razlike u nekim obilježjima i stavovima između triju skupina ispitanika: povratnika, neodlučnih i ne-povratnika, pokazali su da varijable koje diferenciraju skupinu povratnika od drugih dviju skupina jesu stavovi prema Planu mirne reintegracije. Oni su bili pozitivniji u skupine povratnika nego u neodlučnih i ne-po-vratnika. Skupina ne-povratnika, iako vrlo mala, razlikovala se od ostalih dviju skupina po svojoj mlađoj dobi, lošijim odnosima u obitelji, problemima s invalidnošću i boljom prilagodbom na uvjete života poslije progonstva. U radu su prikazani i podaci o uvjetima života u progonstvu i očekivanja u vezi s povratkom skupine povratnika.Das Ziel der Untersuchung war, die Unterschiede zwischen bestimmten soziodemographischen Eigenschaften, Einstellungen und Erwartungen kroatischer Vertriebener festzustellen, deren Zukunftsplane bezOglich des intendierten Aufenthaltsorts voneinander abweichen. Die Untersuchung wurde an einer reprasentativen Gruppe ostkroatischer Vertriebener durchgefOhrt. Die Resultate haben gezeigt, dass die Mehrzahl der Vertriebenen (etwa 70%) in ihre Heimatorte zurOckkehren will, ohne ROcksicht auf die im Plan zur friedlichen Reintegrierung aufgestellten Bedingungen. Etwa ein Viertel der Vertriebenen hat nicht die Absicht, unter den geltenden Bedingungen zurOckzukehren, oder ist noch unentschlossen; lediglich 3% sehen ganz von einer ROckkehr ab. Die DurchfOhrung einer diskriminativen Analyse hatte zum Ziel, die Unterschiede in Einstellungen und Oberlegungen zwischen den drei verschiedenen Personengruppen, narnlich Heimkehrern, UnschlOssigen und Nicht-Heimkehrern, zu ermitteln. Es erwies sich, dass die jeweilige Einstellung zum Plan der friedlichen Reintegrierung jene Variable ist, welche die Gruppe der Heimkehrer von den Obrigen beiden Gruppen differenziert. Unter den zur Heimkehr Entschlossenen ist diese Einstellung positiver als unter den Obrigen Vertriebenen. Die Gruppe der Nicht-Heimkehrer, obwohl geringen Umfangs, unterscheidet sich von den Obrigen durch ein niedrigeres Durchschnittsalter, schlechtere Farnilienverhaltnisse, Invaliditatsprobleme und eine bessere Eingewohnung in die Lebensverhaltnisse nach der Vertreibung. Die Arbeit illustriert aufšerdern bestimmte soziodemographische Merkmale, Lebensverhaltnisse nach der Vertreibung und Erwartungen bezOglich der ROckkehr in die Heimatorte, die innerhalb der Gruppe der zur ROckkehr entschlossenen Vertriebenen zu beobachten sind

Socio-cultural values, economic development and political stability as correlates of trust in the European Union

This paper provides a comparative empirical analysis of social values in Croatia, the European Union (EU), the countries joining in the first round, and a group of European countries outside the EU. Following up on the analysis of the data obtained in international research into European values carried out at the end of the 90's on national samples of most European countries, the authors have endeavoured to determine the differences in the spread of post-material values and the scope of social capital. The objective is to define where, in terms of social values, Croatia is currently located, and thus to sketch out its readiness or lack of readiness for joining the EU. In the second part, the paper offers a comparative analysis of factors that affect the level of public confidence in the EU

Opportunism, institutions and moral costs: the socio-cultural dimension of the underground economy in Croatia 1995-1999

Since the causes and dynamics of the unofficial economy are inseparable from the sociocultural dimension, the authors analyze the dynamics of opportunism and (dis)trust in institutions in Croatia during the last half of the nineties. The analyses carried out are based on work in which the first author provided a theoretical conceptualization of the socio-cultural dimension of the unofficial economy (Štulhofer, 1997). Measurement of the dynamics of opportunism and (dis)trust in institutions was carried out on data collected in the World Values Study – Croatia 1995 (N = 1170) and the European Values Study – Croatia 1999 (N = 1003). The results point out that in the observed period the level of opportunism decreased, with respect to both the intensity and to the distribution. Interestingly, there has been no change in the age structure of opportunism (the youngest age cohort is still the most opportunistic). Unlike opportunism, with which it is positively correlated, distrust in institutions has increased, particularly in the youngest age cohort. Considering the theoretical model, in which the level of opportunism reflects the moral costs related to participation in the underground economy, the decrease in the level of opportunism and economic growth in the post-war period suggest a moderate reduction in the underground economy in Croatia during the second half of the nineties

Some Determinants of Trust in the Institutions of the Political System in Croatia

Analiza povjerenja u različite institucije političkog sustava pokazala je da su svi odgovori ispitanika generirani na osnovi jednakog mehanizma procjene institucija, što daje osnove za zaključak o faktoru generalnog povjerenja u politički sustav, te o više minornih faktora koji dodaju manje distinkcije među pojedine grupe institucija. Analiza promjena u povjerenju u politički sustav u cjelini mjerena kroz sumarnu ocjenu svih institucija u razdoblju od 1997. do 1999, pokazuje da je došlo do pada povjerenja u institucije sustava. Glavni razlog moguće je pronaći u parohijalnom kulturnom sklopu koji prevladava kod glasača. Stoga se pad povjerenja u institucije u najvećoj mjeri može pripisati padu povjerenja u stranku na vlasti (HDZ) procjena čijih se performansi ne može odvojiti od procjena institucija političkog sustava.The analysis of trust in different institutions of the political system has shown that all the answers given by the respondents are generated on the grounds of the same mechanism of the evaluation of institutions, which offers the basis for a conclusion on the factor of general trust in the political system, and for several minor factors, which add to smaller distinctions among particular groups of institutions. The analysis of the changes in the trust in the political system, measured in whole through a summarised evaluation of all the institutions in the period from 1997 to 1999 shows that the decrease of the trust in the institutions of the system has occurred. The main reason is possible to detect in the parochial cultural pattern that dominates within the voter\u27s approach to political trust. Therefore, the decrease of the trust in the institutions is caused by the decrease of the trust in the party in power (HDZ), where the evaluation of its performances cannot be detached from the evaluation of the institutions of the political system

USPOREDBA TIPOVA KOLNIČKIH KONSTRUKCIJA U TUNELIMA

Tunnels pose many fire risks. It is difficult to fight fires in tunnels due to their limited accessibility, the quantity of smoke, and high thermal radiation. Temperatures in tunnel fires can reach 1000 °C, and these fires can spread quickly and persist for long periods, the longest recorded in Europe lasting 53 h. The main requirements of tunnel pavement structures are driving safety and comfort, as well as low construction and maintenance costs. Choosing between using concrete or asphalt pavement structures in tunnels requires the assessment of many criteria, including safety, cost, ecology, and energy use. One must also consider the availability of technologies (finishers) and resources (bitumen or cement), as well as the probability of achieving the required contractor experience level, which impacts pavement management. This paper describes our analysis and process for deciding the pavement structure to be used in tunnels, as well as current European technical regulations for safe traffic flow in tunnels.Tuneli predstavljaju i potencijalna mjesta opasnosti za korisnike u slučaju požara. Borba protiv požara u tunelima teža je zbog ograničene pristupačnosti, količine dima i velikog toplinskog zračenja. Temperature koje se razvijaju tijekom požara u tunelima dostižu i do 1000°C, vatra se širi vrlo brzo i traje dugo – čak do 53 sata. Osnovni zahtjevi kojima trebaju odgovoriti tunelske kolničke konstrukcije su sigurnost i udubnost vožnje, ali i racionalnost, odnosno isplativost u pogledu investicije i troškova održavanja u eksploatacijskim uvjetima. Kod donošenja odluke o izvedbi betonske ili asfaltne kolničke konstrukcije u tunelima, potrebno je proučiti čitav niz kriterija: sigurnosni, ekonomski, ekološki, energetski. U procesu razmatranja treba sagledati raspoloživost određene tehnologije (finišeri) i resursa (bitumen ili cement), ali i iskustvo kao uvjet postizanja tražene razine uporabne kvalitete, a koja ima utjecaj na gospodarenje kolnicima. U radu je opisana analiza prilikom donošenja odluke o tipu kolnika u tunelima te prikazana postojeća tehnička regulativa europskih zemalja vezana za povećanje sigurnosti prometa u tunelima

Uz temu - HRVATSKE VRIJEDNOSTI U TRANZICIJI: EUROPSKA STUDIJA VREDNOTA 1999.-2008.

Tematski dio ovoga broja Društvenih istraživanja čine četiri rada, na temelju podataka za Hrvatsku iz Međunarodnoga projekta EVS. European Values Study projekt je s dugom prošlošću i velikim značenjem za kvantitativnu komparativnu metodologiju društvenih znanosti. Zamišljen kao projekt u kojembi se pokušale ocrtati vrijednosne konstante u svimeuropskim društvima, počeo je 1980. godine. Pregled teorijskih koncepata vrijednosti i dotadašnjih istraživanja i kvalitativna analiza zasnovana na metodi fokusnih grupa upotrijebljena je u konceptualizaciji anketnog istraživanja, koje je provedeno 1981. u deset zemalja Zapadne Europe. Anketni upitnik obuhvatio je niz pokazatelja koji su se odnosili na odnos prema raznimaspektima života i rada, socijalnu snošljivost i povjerenje, religioznost, odnos prema braku i obitelji, političke stavove i moralnost, društvenu solidarnost i demografske deskriptore ispitivanih osoba. U idućim godinama još 16 zemalja diljem svijeta provelo je svoja nacionalna istraživanja istim anketnim upitnikom, kako bi se ono usporedilo s početnih deset zemalja